Frequently Asked Questions

A low-voltage design consultant designs a building’s structured cabling, Wi-Fi, audiovisual, security and other technology systems and produces the construction drawings and specifications for them. NTI works alongside the architect and MEP engineers from early design through construction, so technology rooms, power and pathways are coordinated before anything is built.

NTI’s design fee depends on building size, the number of systems in scope and which phases we’re engaged for, from budgeting only through construction administration. [NTI to add a typical range, e.g. per square foot or as a percentage of low-voltage construction cost.] We send a written proposal after reviewing the program and drawings.

A technology consultant designs the systems and writes vendor-neutral specifications; a design-build integrator designs and installs, usually around the products it sells. NTI is the consultant. Owners who want one team end to end can have NTI’s sister company ASD® install from NTI’s design, or bid the design to any qualified contractor.

Usually only partly. Electrical engineers typically show power, conduit and empty boxes for technology, but not the cabling, equipment, AV, security devices or Wi-Fi layout. When no one owns that design, it falls to contractors late in construction. NTI produces the full low-voltage drawing set and coordinates pathways and power with the electrical engineer.

Structured cabling is the standardized copper and fiber network of cables, pathways, patch panels and telecom rooms that connects every data, voice, Wi-Fi, security and AV device in a building. It follows ANSI/TIA and BICSI standards so compatible equipment can plug in. NTI designs it to support today’s systems and future upgrades without re-cabling.

An RCDD (Registered Communications Distribution Designer) is BICSI’s credential for designers of telecommunications cabling and infrastructure. It shows tested knowledge of cabling standards, pathways and telecom room design. NTI founder Jeff Cook has held the RCDD since 1997 and Associate Principal Ilya Rapoport since 1995; NTI staff also hold the RCDD/NTS network transport credential.

CTS-D (Certified Technology Specialist – Design) is AVIXA’s advanced credential for audiovisual system designers. It certifies the ability to design AV systems to industry standards, from display sizing and sightlines to audio and control. NTI’s AV design is led by Craig Coleman, CTS-D, who has 25 years of AV design experience.

In 2018, NTI became an independent subsidiary of ASD, Inc., a full service low voltage firm.  Today, NTI serves as the design division of ASD.  As importantly, this expanded NTI’s expertise to include more credentialed experience with low voltage systems, and added specific expertise with wireless systems and build-out capabilities.  

Vendor-neutral means NTI doesn’t sell or resell equipment. We specify systems by performance and approved manufacturers, so owners can bid installation competitively and choose products for fit and cost rather than a vendor’s inventory. Our recommendations follow how the building will operate and what the owner’s budget allows.

NTI delivers low-voltage budgets, technology programming, coordinated construction drawings (plans, riser diagrams, equipment room layouts and rack elevations), written specifications and bid documents. During construction we answer RFIs, visit the site and oversee vendors to confirm the installation matches the design. Drawings are coordinated with the architect’s set at each design phase.

• Vendor-Neutral Design: NTI acts as an independent consultant rather than a product vendor. Their designs prioritize the owner’s operational needs and budget without pushing specific proprietary hardware.

• Streamlined Coordination: They coordinate early with structural, MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing), and interior design teams to ensure space, power, cooling, and pathway requirements (conduits, riser rooms, backboards) are accounted for before construction starts.

• Reduction in Costly Change Orders: Leaving low voltage to electrical contractors or equipment vendors late in the process often leads to missed requirements, field conflicts, and expensive change orders.

• Single Point of Contact: NTI handles the complexities of IT cabling, audiovisual, physical security (access control/CCTV), and wireless coverage, freeing the architect to focus on core design while ensuring all technology systems integrate seamlessly.

NTI’s design follows the architect’s schedule, with deliverables at schematic design, design development and construction documents. Joining early means less rework, because budgets and telecom room sizes are set before walls move. [NTI to add a typical duration, e.g. weeks from design development kickoff to an issued set for a 150-room hotel.]

This partnership allows them to provide a complete, end-to-end project lifecycle:

• NTI (The Consultant/Designer): Acts as the technology consultant responsible for the engineering, architectural coordination, and design of your low-voltage systems. They create the blueprints and specifications that define exactly how the technology should be built.

• ASD® (The Installer/Integrator): Operates as the “build” partner. Once the design is finalized by NTI, ASD takes on the construction and installation phase. They are the ones who physically deploy the structured cabling, audiovisual systems, security, and networking infrastructure.

By working with NTI for the consulting/design phase and ASD for the physical build-out, you are essentially engaging a “design/build” approach. This ensures that the team installing the technology has a direct, seamless connection to the team that engineered it, which helps reduce field conflicts and ensures the final installation aligns perfectly with the design intent.

Yes. Budget planning and cost management are core parts of NTI’s consulting model:

• Yes. NTI designs low-voltage systems for renovations and adaptive reuse as well as new construction. We merge new designs with the owner’s existing systems and work around architectural and structural constraints. The Ryder Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, a 91-room, 51,000 sq ft renovation, is one example.

• Value Engineering (VE): If a project needs cost reductions, NTI performs VE analyses to trim expenses without compromising core system functionality or future scalability.

NTI designs technology for hotels and resorts, multifamily, senior living, government, education, recreation, mixed-use, workspaces and industrial buildings. Hospitality is a core market, with projects including the Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center, Ritz-Carlton, Loews Kansas City, Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City and the Omni Oklahoma City Hotel.

Yes. NTI peer-reviews low-voltage drawings and specifications prepared by others, checking them against ANSI/TIA and BICSI standards, the owner’s requirements and coordination with other trades. Owners and architects use peer reviews to catch omissions before bidding, when changes cost least. NTI also commissions installed systems.

Construction administration is the design team’s work during construction. For low-voltage systems, NTI answers contractor RFIs, visits the site to check pathways, telecom rooms and device installation, and oversees vendors so installed systems match the design intent. It closes the gap between the drawings and what the owner gets on opening day.

Yes. NTI prepares bid documents for low-voltage scopes, answers bidder questions and helps owners compare proposals so they cover the same scope. Our specifications are written so any qualified contractor can bid. Owners who prefer a single source can also have NTI’s sister company ASD® install from NTI’s design.

A technology consultant gives low-voltage systems the same coordinated design as structural, MEP and interiors. Without one, cabling, AV and security are often left to contractors late in the project, which causes omissions, RFIs and change orders. NTI produces a coordinated low-voltage drawing set so contractors build from a complete design.

Ideally during schematic design, and no later than early design development. Architects who work with NTI repeatedly bring us in at schematic design, so we can set low-voltage budgets, size telecom rooms and coordinate pathways with other disciplines from the start. Joining at construction documents means catching up and correcting omissions later.

Yes. Most NTI projects over the last 20 years have included AV design, from common-area speakers in multifamily buildings to AV as the main scope in auditoriums and event centers. NTI’s AV design is led by Craig Coleman, a CTS-D-certified subject matter expert and licensed P.E.

Most often the architect. NTI also works directly for owners, owner’s representatives, MEP firms and occasionally general contractors. When an owner selects NTI, we usually ask to join the architect’s design team, so our work is coordinated with every other discipline on the same schedule.

Yes. Beyond cabling, NTI specifies the systems that run on it, most often access control, CCTV, Wi-Fi and AV, and can help owners compare options and procure them. NTI has been a low-voltage design firm since 1998, and its leadership has more than 100 years of combined industry experience.

NTI designs projects in all 50 U.S. states and internationally, including the Westin Grand Cayman Beach Resort & Spa, from its office in Alpharetta, Georgia. NTI’s designers hold nationally recognized credentials, including BICSI RCDD and AVIXA CTS-D, and we confirm state and local licensing requirements for each project.

A technology consultant takes low-voltage design off the architect’s plate and coordinates it with structural, MEP and interiors early, so telecom rooms, power, cooling and pathways are planned before construction. NTI is vendor-neutral, reduces late change orders, and gives the architect one point of contact for cabling, AV, security and wireless.

No. NTI designs; its sister company ASD® (Automated Systems Design, Inc.) installs. Owners can hire ASD to build from NTI’s design for a design-build path, or bid NTI’s vendor-neutral design to any qualified contractor. NTI has been an independent subsidiary of ASD since 2018.

Yes. NTI prepares preliminary low-voltage budgets for cabling, AV, security and network electronics during concept and schematic design, so owners set realistic expectations early. When a project needs savings, NTI runs value engineering to cut cost without losing core function or future scalability.

Yes. NTI designs technology for local government and public-sector clients, including courthouses, city halls, municipal administration buildings, emergency operations centers, public safety facilities and schools. We work within public bidding requirements and municipal standards.